Rental car without international license (we are already in Italy!)

At Europecar I have never been asked for my international license.

The rental company is protecting you and themselves. If they rent to you without an IDP they run the risk of having the car impounded if you have an accident or are stopped for a traffic violation. You are required in Italy to have an IDP when driving. The rental car company does not enforce the law but my guess is they have been burned in the past. You need it. Just because you haven't been caught in the past doesn't mean you cannot have problems tomorrow. And, technically speaking, it is not an international license. I personally would not rent without one. You taking on a lot of risk and doubt if your insurance company would cover you in this situation.

The thing is that in Italy as an American or Canadian it is required by law that you must have an IDP to drive a rental,car. It is a translation of your home drivers licence. Of course, always someone will tell you they drove in Italy without one, no problem. That only means that they did not get stopped by police for any reason at all, nor did they have an accident, in either case a hefty fine would have applied. Maybe Maggiore will not be so scrupulous about the IDP, you could try them, but be aware that you are breaking
Italian law.

If you drive without and IDP and are in an accident or have your car damaged while you're not with it your insurances will become nul and void because you are driving illegally. You are required by law to have one. It doesn't matter if the rental company asks for one, you're required to have it.

Take the bus and avoid possible issues. This was something you should have done before leaving home.

Donna

The Italian law requires either the IDP or a sworn translation of your driver's license. You can probably get that at the US Consulate in Rome.

Europcar has never asked me to see my IDP, just my California DL and passport. However the problem is if you get pulled over or are in an accident. The fine ranges from 400€ to 1600€.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/drive-without-idp-at-your-own-risk

As someone else suggested, your best bet is to try and find someone that can provide a certified translation of the terms of your home driver's license. I don't know if the Embassy could help with that? Laurel would be the best person to answer that question. You could perhaps also try language schools in whichever town you're in. There will of course be a cost for that service.

Good luck!

What Donna said. At least if you don't drive, you'll avoid the pitfalls of driving in Italy. If you do manage to get a translation and then can rent, I hope you have thoroughly researched driving in Italy. If not, Google driving in Italy and start reading.

You will lots of info online. This group of articles can get you started.

Thank you all for the advice! We will not rent a car without an IDP--it isn't worth the risk. I especially appreciate the helpful suggestions some of you offered. However, telling me I should have taken care of it before I came to Italy isn't helpful and makes me feel worse about the mistake and oversight than I already do.

Keep in mind that when we post advice and recommendations, there are two audiences - you who asked the question and the general public who is reading the question. When it is suggestion that this should have been taken care of before departure, it is not completely directed at you but to others who may not have thought about the need for an IDP. We are not trying to make you feel bad but I will rap your knuckles lightly by saying you should have been reading this site before you left so you would have known about the IDP. Look on the bright side -- You will not get the frequently discussion moving violation tickets a year after you return from Italy. That might save you a couple hundred euro and a lot of frustration.

I question the frequently stated advice that your insurance is void without an IDP. I think people are just guessing there.

You could try another agency, realizing that if they do rent to you, you are at risk of being fined. The odds that you will be pulled over or in an accident isn't high, but it isn't zero either.

In a self-directed tour in Europe, it's impossible to get everything "right" so don't fret.

I also doubt that the insurance would be void, otherwise you can rest assured that rental agencies would consistently ask for the IDP and would not rent you a car without one.

However the risk of being fined is indeed there, even if they give you a car.